What if your captain is drunk?

[jmt]

How will you answer that typical question at an interview:
What would you do if your captain or the dispatcher smells like alcohol?
Thanks

 

[2000flyer]

During a 121 interview a few years ago, I was asked this question. My answer, in part, was:

1. Pull the CA aside, tell them you smell alcohol and question if they've been drinking. Suggest that he/she remove themselves from the flight. If they don't do so;
a. Be firm. Insist that they themselves take action so you don't have to.
b. Advise them you have absolutely no wiggle room, that you must report them
if they aren't cooperative. Give them every opportunity to, if nothing else,
call in sick for the day.

2. If you do have to call a CP, explain your concerns. While not an expert on judging intoxication, you have noticed a distinct smell of liquor and the pilot in question refused cooperation.

3. I have a wife and kids. No flight nor job is worth ending up a statistic because some CA hit the bottle before the flight, therefore, I would remove MYSELF from the flight.

Both HR and pilot interviewer seemed pleased with the answer. From a pilot's point, it wasn't a rush to the authorities to screw a pilot. From an HR standpoint, every effort was made to help the pilot in question, but you weren't affraid to go up the ladder if the case warranted it.

Since I was offered the position, I'd assume my answer was adequate.

Think about this question, which I got as a follow-up during the interview:

"Suppose, inflight, the CA returns from the lav smelling of alcohol. Now what would you do?"

Regards,
2000Flyer

 

[crxpilot]

I can tell you from experience, in this case my FO, if they show up smelling like alcohol you tell them to leave the area immediately and call in sick. Whatever you do, do not let them on the plane, it only gets worse from there. And it goes without saying that if they insist on flying, you call in sick and let destiny take it from there for your drunk soon to be ex-coworker.

 

[PadFull'oTrim]

First off ask him where he was and what the specials were so next time on that overnight you can go out and get boozed up too.

 

[jetexas]

Your first priority should be to let him know how dissapointed you are in him for not sharing the booze.

Seriously, at the interview let them know that you would never ever fly with a drunk guy next to you.
Tell the other guy to call in sick, then call prof. standards if he won't.

 

[sidseal]

The correct answer is not to say anything, except, make sure that it's your leg. Then, when you get to cruise and the Capt. passes out, you can log that "oh so precious" PIC time! When he wakes up, shove some pretezels and aspirin down his throat and pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

 

[Gobi Gred]

Read this in FLYING magazine:

"In the past the FAA lifted pilots' medical certificates when they failed sobriety tests. Since January, the FAA is also revoking pilots' airman certificates. To reinstate their medical and airman certificates pilots have to wait a year and, in the case of their airman certificates, retake all the written and flight tests." YIKES! I think that after the next crew that is caught abusing alcohol on duty, you will see a 24 hour bottle to throttle rule implemented.

 

[Freight Dog]

You slap the captain upside the head and say: "You selfish a$$... thanks for sharing!"

All of the above posts are pretty good. The interviewers want to see that you will refuse to fly with him and still be professional about it. I also made it clear in my interview that if a captain is cooperative, I would not turn him in, however I'd make sure he gets a ride home (do NOT let him drive), and furthermore that the captain in question gets help since most likely he has a bigger problem than just drinking like divorce, death in the family, etc. as most airlines have Employee Assistance Programs or similar stuff. You want to make sure he gets OK.

 

[FSB99]

nobody really addressed a question posed, within one of the above posts (or maybe i just missed it?)
but, i think that's an awesome question, and something i'm still thinking about. the question was, what do you do if you're up at altitude, capt. comes back from the lav, and suddenly smells like boose?
same question, different take, though.. it'd be somewhat "easy" in the situation while you're still on the ground, the answer being, professionally disallow him/her to get on the airplane. but, what if you're already in the airplane, already flying, and he sneaks a drink in the john?

 

[Networ-King]

You need to B!TCH slap him/her upside the head then get them out of the seat and thats how you get your first hours of jet PIC. You just got yourself upgraded in a quick hurry .

Seriously though.........

FSB99

Did you not read 2000flyers post????? That is the text book answer for a question like that. As for Chappy returning from the lav smelling like booz....well, if your in the air already the damage is done and you confront him in the front with the door closed and you make sure that its your leg till the engines are shut down. Then you politely tell him to go and call in sick so that you don't have to ruin his/her career by calling the Chief Pilot. This might sound like a real tough question, but its not. Just remember in ANY interview there are three things you have to remember

1. Never Brake an FAR
2. Never Brake a Company OPS SPEC
3. Never Jepordize SAFTEY

If any trick questions come out in an interview, just stick to these and the right answer will come out.

 

[afroman]

first of all, tell him to drink vodka next time -- no nasty smell the next morning. then, strap an O2 mask to him so you don't have to smell it for the whole leg.

or, suggest he smoke a little weed -- no hangover.

isn't it funny that we can use a drug that gives us a hangover, but not one that doesn't.

 

[tittyjet]

Afro.....

....I'm putting you on public notice that you have EXACTLY four (4) days to put my fly rod in my garage, or I'm going to burn your house down and feed that flea-bitten mutt of yours an anti-freeze burger.

 

[WorldSeries]

some other important parts you should consider when answering the question, is that if you the FO just call in sick to try and stop the flight because the capt. would not, after you have confronted them about smelling alcohol, is that they may just send in a resereve FO for the flight so it can still go. So you need to make sure the capt. is the one calling to take them self off the flight !! also its your responsiblilty as a Crew memeber that you should follow up your concern with someone about the incident..maybe the union, or some type of in house program where it can be dealt with confidentially, but someone needs to know, who can talk to the captain about it ..by just having the captain call in sick and letting it end there is not being responsible as a crew member..you dont know if that captain has a drinking problem and if they do, they could do the same thing next week and the other FO may not say anything and the flights departs, something happens, and then your sitting there saying wow i flew with that captain, i wish i had said something about it last week..

 

[g159av8tor]

"first of all, tell him to drink vodka next time -- no nasty smell the next morning. then, strap an O2 mask to him so you don't have to smell it for the whole leg."

That doesn't work for me. When I metabolize any type or color of booze, my skin smells like roasted almonds. Also, I fart alot the next morning and, ironically, they smell like rotten almonds.

Tailwinds...

 

[Alaskaairlines]

The correct answer is not to say anything, except, make sure that it's your leg. Then, when you get to cruise and the Capt. passes out, you can log that "oh so precious" PIC time! When he wakes up, shove some pretezels and aspirin down his throat and pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Quite funny reply there!

 

[WrightAvia]

1. Never Brake an FAR
2. Never Brake a Company OPS SPEC
3. Never Jepordize SAFTEY
4. Never drink and pohst
5. Never use speel check

Sorry, couldn't pass it up...

 

[Thrust Master]

Give him a Certs and tell him next time to
drop some acid, they still don't test for that.

 

[VFR on Top]

When I metabolize any type or color of booze, my skin smells like roasted almonds. Also, I fart alot the next morning and, ironically, they smell like rotten almonds.

Maybe you binge on almonds when you're hammered? I've heard of stranger things......

 

[tittyjet]

They don't test for 'shrooms, either.

 

[SkySpray]

You guys amuse me. Nobody seems to want to tell it like it really is. First, in the interview, you answer the question as previous posters suggested: i.e. pull captain aside, tell him you think he's been drinking, etc, etc, blah blah blah.

In real life: You pretend you didn't notice anything, and continue on as planned. That's the reality, and I'm sure that 99% of the F/O's that answered "correctly" in the interivew would actually do something else in the actual situation. For the most part, most captains (and f/o's) aren't going to be tipping the bottle at departure time. It's more likely that they hit it hard the night before and still have a little alcohol on their breath. No big deal really. Now, those who feel differently can go ahead and jump down my throat for not living up to my "obligations" as a first officer. I'm just curious to know how many people actually did what they said they would do in an interview, in a real life situation.

That's the reality of the situation, as I've experience in my career (both at AA and Eagle).